How to paint a glass of water in a way that is neither indifferent nor fanciful, but as who would say with genius? I then thought that Hegel would have been very sensitive to this object which has two opposite functions at the same time: to reject water; to protect it, and to keep it; to contain it. He would have been delighted, I think, or amused; as one seeks to be when on vacation, and I have called the picture Hegel's Holidays.

René Magritte.

Welcome home at Belgitude

Ideas often come to him from daily life. When his doorbell was broken, Jean-Francois D'Or experimented with a music box outside his entrance, and when he noticed that it conjured up a smile on every visitor’s face – Even the police were well-disposed ! – he decided to turn this makeshift object into a real doorbell. It had a fabulous effect, so I realized I had to do something with it. The result is a low-tech mood enhancing doorbell, made of brass with a mirror effect; to arrange your hair before the door opens but as the image is upside down it’s more of a clin d'oeil to make us smile even more broadly. After a long day’s work you want to come home and feel good.

It started with the bell, but Jean-Francois D'Or didn’t stop there. He developed two more objects to give us that welcoming feeling: a subdued jolly door handle and a simple yet assertive umbrella stand. When I am looking for new projects, like for example the door handle, I usually play with existing objects. Coincidentally, I had a tobacco pipe in my hands and the more I looked at it, the more I was convinced that this could be an excellent door handle.

Furthermore, all my life I’ve been in love with hats and umbrellas, so for me a nice umbrella stand is a must. Usually it’s the kind of item people prefer to hide behind the door, whereas I think they deserve recognition, especially in a country with as many rainy days as Belgium.

I have designed a practical umbrella stand in brass that welcomes you home, despite the showers outside.

For his Belgitude series, Jean-Francois D'Or worked with Maison Vervloet, ironmonger and purveyor of decorative hardware, a family company still going strong after a respectable 112 years. I’ve been working with them for many years. They excel at craftsmanship and working in brass. Of course, during such a long history quite a few door handles have been made. 45,000 to be more precise. I learned that when I shared my idea of designing a door handle for ‘Belgitude’: at Maison Vervloet they are obviously not easily impressed. So of course they teased me, and this door handle inspired by a smoking pipe is the result! The working relationship between Jean-Francois D'Or and Maison Vervloet has always been one of mutual appreciation, which ensures that everything is possible approach. Talk about ‘Linking Minds’.